ESPN2 To Air Cheerleading Championships In Which KU Placed Fifth

March 29, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Next weekend, Kansas fans nationwide will have the opportunity to watch the KU Cheer Squad at the 2011 College Cheer and Dance National Competition.

The competition, which took place in January, will be broadcast on ESPN 2 on Sunday, April 10, at 2 p.m. Central. The Jayhawks finished fifth at the event.

The competition was sponsored by the Universal Cheer Association and the Universal Dance Association (UCA/UDA). Fans can view the squad’s final routine at www.varsity.com.

The scoring was tight; just one point separated third-place Central Florida, fourth-place LSU and fifth-place KU. Alabama and Kentucky finished first and second, respectively. KU finished ahead of 10 other squads including Ohio State, Tennessee, Mississippi and Minnesota.

KU’s squad won the Midwest Region for the third consecutive year to earn a full bid to compete in the annual competition. The full bid includes air fare, hotel rooms and fees for the 18-member squad, paid by UCA/UDA.

The KU Cheer Squad won the Region based on the skills video it submitted, which fans can view at http://www.kucheer.com/videos. The squad also submitted a 90-second video of its crowd-leading abilities at KU basketball games, which counts for 15 percent of its final score at nationals. KU’s crowd video received a perfect score of 15, which was added to its live performance score.

Head Coach Corey Stone and assistant coaches Nami Stone and Scott Borgmier conducted two-a-day practices in January to prepare the KU cheerleaders for the national competition.

“The team also conducted several performances of its national competition routine both locally and in Kansas City,” Stone said. “In addition to practicing and performing the competition routine, the squad has continued to foster the atmosphere of the greatest home-court advantage in college basketball while cheering during Kansas men’s and women’s basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse.”

The members of KU’s competition squad are: